Ray DeRosa has been the head coach of the NEC men's wrestling team since the 2022-2023 season, and the head coach of the NEC women's wrestling team since their inaugural 2023-2024 season.
The 2023-2024 season saw the Pilgrims' men's wrestling team reach new heights as Boburjon Berdiyorov and Zach Soda both qualified for the NCAA Championship Tournament. Berdiyorov and Soda would both earn postseason All-NEWA honors while John Lafferty and Chris DeRosa made the Honorable Mention list.
The NEC women's wrestling team posted a strong first season, as Alexis Dobson took third place at the NCWWC Regionals, qualifying her for the NCAA Championship tournament.
Coach DeRosa came to New England College in 2022 after spending the last 15 years as the Wrestling Club and Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Doughboy Wrestling Club in Lowell, Mass. The Billerica, Mass. native has 25 years of coaching experience, including nine years at Bentley University as an assistant coach for their lacrosse and soccer programs. Before coaching at the Division II University, DeRosa was a head/assistant coach at Billerica Memorial, Shawsheen Technical, and Plymouth Regional for a total of 11 years.
"I am so happy and fortunate to have been hired to be the Interim Head Coach for NEC," stated DeRosa. "I have a love and admiration for this sport and the student-athletes that dedicate themselves to being successful in the classroom and on the wrestling mat. I look forward to providing the team with a great experience for the remainder of this year while building for a successful program at NEC for years to come."
DeRosa earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Plymouth State University in 1993. While at Plymouth, DeRosa was a four-year starter for the Panthers on the soccer field, while also wrestling.
